Fixing a Suspended License

In case you haven‘t noticed, criminal defense attorney John Guidry has been defending driving while license suspended charges since 1993, but for a moment here we‘ll forget about criminal charges and focus on an act of prevention. The best way to begin fixing a suspended license is a driving record printout from DMV, and also check WEBSITE for a DL check online that will outline all suspension issues. Here’s a few common reasons for license suspension and what can be done to fix it.

UNPAID TOLL VIOLATIONS: These violations rack up fast, often without any knowledge, because there’s no cop pulling a person over here to sign a ticket, it’s just a bunch of fines arriving in the mail one day. You thought your e-pass or sunpass was fully operational, but maybe not. If thousands of dollars in toll violations are owed, contact John Guidry for options in handling such a situation. Often, the e-pass and sunpass administrators are willing to work out some sort of compromise, whereby several thousand dollars in fines may be reduced to several hundred, depending upon the reason for the toll violations (in one case our law firm handled, a woman’s husband went on a crime spree that landed him in prison, yet this crime spree gave the now ex-wife thousands in toll violations on her vehicle that she did not commit, criminal defense attorney John Guidry was able to get these cases dismissed).

UNPAID TRAFFIC TICKETS: The two main concerns with paying old tickets off involves the points assessed and the license suspension implications. First, many old traffic tickets have not yet counted as points against your driving record until you’ve actually paid the ticket. Often, the clerk of court explains that simply paying old tickets x, y, & z will help get your license reinstated. But, each ticket you pay carries 4 points (for example), and those 12 points added to points already on your license cause a “point suspension”. The best way to fix this situation is to first head to the DMV and obtain a copy of your driving record. Next, call criminal attorney John Guidry for an analysis of your driving record to determine if the payment of the old tickets will cause more problems. As a general rule, NEVER pay an old Driving While License Suspended citation without first contacting criminal defense attorney John Guidry, because the simple payment of such citations can lead to a 5 year DL suspension as a Habitual Traffic Offender.

CHILD SUPPORT SUSPENSIONS: These are tricky, and how to handle this suspension depends upon the state or county of origin, and the mother or father claiming child support is in arrears. This suspension is a classic Catch-22, you need to work to pay child support, but you can’t work without a driver’s license. Under these circumstances, one way to handle this suspension is to request that the judge temporarily lift the child support suspension once a good faith payment is made toward the total child support balance. Part of this agreement will also require that child support payments be made monthly, even if the entire balance is not paid off, in order to keep the license from being suspended again.

UNPAID COURT COSTS ON OLD CRIMINAL CASES: Remember that old open container charge from years ago? Well, the clerk of court says you still owe $45 on the case, and they’ve suspended your license as a result. This is an easy fix, just head out to the clerk of court pay the outstanding balance. This type of suspension gets nasty when the court suspends a license due to the failure to complete a sentencing condition, such as drug rehab. Then, it’s recommended that you first speak with the clerk of court to find out “exactly” what will satisfy the clerk’s requirement. It’s also possible to contact the judge involved to see if the suspension can be lifted once proof is shown of enrollment into drug rehab. Drug rehab can last six months or longer, so many people do not want to go without a license for that long (who can blame them?). Some judge’s are sympathetic to this situation.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ACCIDENT SUSPENSIONS: This is suspension is more and more common, whereby an insurance company seeks payment for damages caused in an accident where such money was not paid by your insurance company. In such cases, it’s important to contact the insurance company directly. Find out exactly how much is owed (you may wish to contact an insurance defense attorney if the amount seems out of line), and ask to be placed on a payment plan. Of course, you want to explain to the insurance company that you want them to lift their suspension once a first payment is made to them. Often, they will agree, and continue to keep your license valid so long as monthly payments are made timely. I’ve seen outrageous amounts of money owed on such suspensions and insurance companies unwilling to release the suspension until the amount is paid in full, some of those clients have simply filed for bankruptcy to wipe out said debt. This seems a bit extreme (depending on how important driving is…), never take such an action without first hiring a bankruptcy attorney , as some accident debts are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

DUI SUSPENSIONS - DEPENDS WHAT TYPE OF SUSPENSION, you may need to click here if you've been convicted of DUI or here if your DUI is still pending

SUSPENSION AS A HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER (HTO) – click here to find out how to overturn an HTO suspension

As you can see from the above overview, trying to clear up a driving record in order to obtain a license can be tough, and may dig a person into an even deeper hole. So, you know what to do, please give criminal attorney John Guidry a call to review your situation. If there's a way to get that license back, he'll find it.

We serve the following localities: Orange County including Winter Garden, Winter Park, Apopka, Maitland, Ocoee, Orlando, and Windermere; Brevard County including Melbourne, Cocoa, and Merritt Island; Osceola County including Kissimmee and St. Cloud; and Seminole County including Sanford, Longwood, Casselberry, and Lake Mary.